Top 10 Stars You Forgot Were on The X-Files

#10: Seth Green
"Deep Throat"

It was 1993, and people hadn’t yet learned that the truth is out there yet. Mulder and Scully hadn’t been partners very long when they took on a mysterious case about a test pilot. While investigating nearby UFO sightings, they meet Emil, played by a very young Seth Green. Seth’s character plays a big part in this episode as he fills in our dynamic duo about the aircraft in the area, and even helps get them onto the base where the planes launch from. It's a long way from the likes of “Family Guy” and “Austin Powers,” but a pleasant surprise, especially from such an early season.

#9: David Alan Grier
"Hollywood A.D."

When David Duchovny directed this episode, it felt like he picked up the phone and called a whole bunch of people he had worked with just to have some extra names in the cast that week. Minnie Driver, Téa Leoni, and Garry Shandling all appeared along with David Alan Grier in the same episode. Driver and Grier both serve as members of the audience at the premiere of the movie based on Mulder and Scully. Both had recently co-starred with Duchovny in the movie “Return to Me.” Leoni, Duchovny’s wife at the time, and Shandling played the fictional versions of Scully and Mulder, respectively.

#8: Lucy Liu
"Hell Money"

From “Charlie’s Angels” to “Kill Bill,” Lucy Liu has made quite a name for herself when it comes to action and adventure films. However, when you dig into her filmography, we find her name splashed across many notable television programs. “Home Improvement,” “ER,” “L.A. Law” and even “Beverly Hills, 90210” were some of her early credits. In 1996, she appeared in a Season Three episode of “The X-Files” called “Hell Money.” She played a sick daughter of a man trying to gamble his way into paying for her treatments. A relative unknown at the time, it wouldn’t be long before this Asian-American actress would become a Hollywood heavyweight.

#7: Jack Black
"D.P.O."

Long before instructing at the School of Rock or swinging through the jungle in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” Jack Black was helping his friend harness his newfound superpowers. In the Season 3 episode, “D.P.O.”, Black plays an arcade owner named Zero who’s best friends with Giovanni Ribisi’s character, Darin Oswald. Oswald gets struck by lightning and can now control electricity, to which Zero helps keep under wraps. Although the episode focuses more on Oswald’s powers, Black’s character gets plenty of screen time, including a fantastic death scene in the latter half of the episode.

#6: Luke Wilson
"Bad Blood"

His resume may list countless films, but Luke Wilson’s first television role was in a vampire-themed episode of “The X-Files.” This Season Five gem gave us two completely different versions of Wilson’s Sheriff Hartwell. Scully’s account gives us a straight and level local sheriff, whereas Mulder’s tale shows him more as a backward hick to whom Scully has a crush on. Wilson nails both portrayals giving audiences the perfect amount of comedy an episode like this deserves. We love how his character brings out the laughs from someone like Scully who typically is so straight and narrow.

#5: Lucy Lawless
"Nothing Important Happened Today"

Shortly after “Xena: Warrior Princess” had been canceled, the production team from “The X-Files” reached out to Lucy Lawless. She was cast as Shannon McMahon, one of several genetically created super-soldiers which became a main theme of the initial final season. An old marine friend of John Doggett, she plays a vital role in the exposition of the entire super-soldier program. Appearing in the two-part premiere episode, her character was expected to be recurring throughout the final year of the show. Those plans were cut short, however, when Lawless became pregnant later in the season.

#4: Lily Tomlin
"How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"

Considered Season Six’s least expensive episode, it also featured two major names in Hollywood: Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner. Tomlin had approached the show years prior about appearing in an episode. Creator Chris Carter eventually wrote this story with her in mind to play the role of Lyda. Asner was cast as her husband Maurice after Bob Newhart turned the role down. Together, they appear as a couple of ghosts taunting Mulder and Scully who have become trapped inside a so-called haunted house. An incredible bottle episode, both Tomlin and Asner bring comedy and a touch of the creeps to our favorite FBI agent’s Christmas.

#3: Octavia Spencer
"Millennium"

She won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Academy Award for her role in 2011’s “The Help.” And for someone whose first role in film came in 1996, her filmography in both television and movies is quite extensive. In 1999, she appeared on “The X-Files” as “Nurse Octavia” who worked in a mental institution. The facility was notable as fans would meet famed profiler, Frank Black, who would go on to have his own spin-off series, “Millennium.” Unlike others on this list, Spencer’s role was limited to a single line of dialog that could easily be missed. Be sure to look for her when Frank decides to leave the hospital.

#2: Bryan Cranston
"Drive"

What do the actors who played Walter White and Jesse Pinkman have in common, other than “Breaking Bad?” They both appeared on “The X-Files.” Diehard fans probably know the story of how Vince Gilligan met Bryan Cranston on set during Gilligan’s days as a writer. Cranston played Patrick Crump: a man who suffers from a condition which induces horrific pain when he’s not moving at a certain velocity. This “Speed” inspired episode helped Cranston land the gig as Albuquerque’s most notorious meth dealer years later. Cranston’s co-star, Aaron Paul, would also appear on the show later on in season nine.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Tony Shalhoub, “Soft Light”
At Least He Didn’t Bump Into Any Men in Black

Jane Lynch, “Lord of the Flies”
She’s the Mother of a Very Special Boy

Peter Boyle, “Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose”
In Any Emmy-Winning Role, He Played the Prognosticator Clyde Bruckman

Rhys Darby, “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster”
He’s a Lizard Who Turned Into a Man

#1: Ryan Reynolds
"Syzygy"

Going all the way back to 1996, Ryan Reynolds appeared in a Season Three episode of “The X-Files” called “Syzygy.” He was on screen for less than three minutes before becoming Mulder and Scully’s victim of the week. At only 19 years old, Reynolds played a jock named Jay "Boom" DeBoom who gets seduced and murdered by two young women. It’s hard to imagine Reynolds ever being that young, but it’s even more entertaining to see how G-rated his dialog is, compared to what we’ve seen since. It’s a role that helped push his career forward and gave us the Reynolds we know and love today.